Marshmen | Enjoy the Broads

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See the Broads

In order to preserve traditional skills the Broads Authority ran a scheme funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to train apprentices in the craft of reedcutting. Many trainees have gone on to earn their living in this trade.

Eric Edwards MBE (1940-2012) cut reed and sedge in the Broads for nearly fifty years. He used traditional methods employed by Norfolk marshmen for centuries

Useful links

Toad Hole Cottage Museum at How Hill

This tiny marshman's cottage situated on the River Ant, was home for a whole family in Victorian times.

Museum of the Broads

The only waterside museum of Broadland life, in a traditional setting at Stalham Staithe on the Norfolk Broads. Discover the boats of the Broads.

Horsey Mill

Restored five-storey drainage windpump that has striking views across Horsey Mere, one of the Norfolk Broads.

Thurne Dyke Drainage Mill

Thurne dyke drainage mill was built beside the River Thurne at the mouth of Thurne Dyke and was saved from destruction by Bob Morse in 1949,

Marsh Workers of the Broads

HLF funded work by BRASCA

Marshmen

The people who lived on the Broads 100 years ago were a hardy race whose work shaped the landscape into what we have today. Cutting reed and sedge for thatch, grazing cattle and eel catching were some of the main trades. They also manned the many drainage mills that can still be seen throughout the Broads today.

Reed Cutting

Cutting reed for thatching was a popular – but tough – trade. The reedbeds were harvested by hand between December and March. Today machine cutters are mainly used.
Dykes

One of the most important jobs was to maintain the dykes for transporting goods. They had to be kept clear of mud and weed to allow boats to get through with their cargoes of reed and sedge.
Sedge

Sedge is another important material used in thatching. Unlike reed, it is flexible and is used to form the ridge on thatched roofs. Sedge is cut during the summer.
Marshes

Drainage mills were vital for pumping water off the marshes and preventing them from flooding. Marshmen grazed their cattle on the land and harvested marsh hay for animal fodder and bedding.
Food

The Broads were a good source of food for the men and women who lived and worked here. They reaped a healthy harvest of eels, fish and wildfowl.
Reed Lighters

The reed bundles were often transported by traditional boats called reed lighters from the reed beds to the village staithes to be stacked ready for the thatchers to collect.